1. Field of the Invention
The present invention broadly relates to a new and improved method of controlling machines for the cleaning of fibers. In particular, the invention concerns textile technology, and specifically, deals with a method for conjointly controlling adjustment or setting means at one or a number of flock opening- and fiber cleaning machines which are in a predeterminate correlation with respect to one another.
2. Discussion of the Background and Material Information
During cotton cleaning, the flock opening- and fiber cleaning functions are controlled in textile cleaning machines with the aid of variable parameters. As a function of the magnitude of these variable parameters there are set or adjusted appropriate adjustment or setting means or elements during the operation of the machines. This setting or adjustment operation is undertaken as far as possible such that no machine components (the tools or operating implements) need be exchanged. Such adjustments or settings as a function of the parameter values, can be either accomplished manually at adjustment or setting elements especially provided for this purpose, for example, at a scale or graduated disk, while displaying the position of a value or values correlated to the setting, or else can be accomplished automatically and under remote-control by appropriately designed operating means and sensing means.
In the case of the so-called Unifloc method of the assignee of this invention, which is a method for opening cotton bales and for opening the pressed bales so as to form cotton flocks, the parameters for the bale hardness are constituted, for instance, by the bale penetration depth of the opening or extraction roller for each throughpass thereof, the protrusion of the individual toothed disks of the opening roller beyond the associated grate structure, the rotational speed of the opening roller, and in the case of bale opening equipment operating with two bale opening rollers the penetration depth of the individual opening rollers. All of these factors thus constitute "adjustment" or "setting" parameters, for the realization of which it is incumbent to adjust or appropriately set one or a number of these mechanical expedients or means.
In a coarse cleaning machine, in which, as the term itself connotes, coarse contaminants or impurities are removed and flocks are already partially opened, relevant parameters are constituted by, for instance, the spacing of the individual grate rods from the imaginary outermost circumferential surface of the beater bolts at the cleaning roller, the angular setting of the individual grate rods and the spacing to the aforementioned circumferential surface of the beater bolts and the angular mutual position of the grate rods with respect to one another, the rotational speed of the cleaning roller, and the suction intensity of the air quantity suctionally removed through the sheet metal sieve or screen plate.
Relevant parameters of a fine cleaning machine, where there occurs intensive opening of the flocks, are constituted by, for example, the distance between the nip or clamping point and the takeover point at the feed roll or roller, the spacing of the knife edge from the beater circle, the displacement or offset of the sheet metal fiber guide to the knife as well as the rotational speed of the opening roll and, possibly, also the point density to the extent these points can be adjustably altered (and not merely by exchange thereof).
Finally, the carding machine or card is also present in this processing line. Such carding machine has a multiplicity of parameters for combing out short fibers and for placing the cleaned fibers in parallelism, such as, for instance, the clamping distance between the feed plate or trough for the fiber infeed and the clothing of the licker-in roll, the rotational speeds of the licker-in roll and the carding cylinder, the settings of the flat arrangement, carding elements, separating knife and so forth, which likewise can possess a pronounced dependency upon one another.
All of these adjustment or setting parameters, in other words, each individual one, have boundary values between which they can be altered by adjustment of the relevant operating element. They constitute the mechanical boundary or limiting conditions of the machine. Furthermore, these parameters are interdependent, and thus, dependent upon one another. In other words, alteration of one of these parameters affects, on the one hand, the total effect and, on the other hand, the partial effect of the other parameters. It is known that a system containing such type of interdependent, linked partial influencing factors, is difficult to control.
If there is further considered the fact that, depending upon the prevailing fiber arrangement, that is, depending upon the blend of the fiber origin, namely, fiber length, thickness, color, elongation of the individual fibers according to fiber origin, as well as dependent upon the nature and degree of contamination, the alterations of the parameters produces a different technological result.